Reassurance
by leafpaws
Summary: Yumi's noticed some changes in behavior with a certain young genius after a particularly severe streak of XANA attacks. She's not normally the comforting type... But she's been in his shoes before. What else can she do but help out a friend in need?
1. Chapter 1

It's not really much of a concern.

A twinge of nervousness when his laptop isn't around; an automatic jolt of fear when his phone buzzes and he sees Aelita's contact on his screen.

Sometimes, in class, he drums his fingers on the desk and stares out the window, worrying about needed adjustments he hadn't had time to make that morning. His progress on the anti-virus- fleeting ideas that he's positive will work and that he's terrified of forgetting.

Lately, though, it's fearful glances over his shoulder and uncomfortable eye contact with strangers. Tension and flinching at contact, being spooked at approaches from the rear.

She knows who the target of the past few attacks has been. She remembers seeing lightning crackle across his skin until his eyes lose focus, watching him get slammed into the wall, hearing his frantic voice over the phone- again, and again, and again.

Or when that specter had assimilated into his place after trying to drown him in the Seine. When that had failed, the clone simply shoved him down the elevator shaft and did so again. When _that_ hadn't worked...

Well, according to him, it had been a good thing Ulrich had showed up.

After losing a bet and getting locked into completing a certain wild-haired hero's homework, Yumi's not sure why she finds herself pausing at his door as she heads towards Odd and Ulrich's room on that Saturday morning. Before she knows it, she's knocking on it.

There's no answer, unsurprisingly. She knows how engrossed Jeremie can get into his work.

Twisting the doorknob, she peeks into the young genius' room. "He-" She cuts herself off abruptly at what she sees before her.

He's at his desk, in his pajamas. His head's down on the keyboard with his arms curled around himself, and the rise and fall of his back is smooth and rhythmic.

On one hand, she doesn't want to disturb him. It's so rare for him to settle down and actually get some sleep. But on the other...

Well, that didn't look very comfortable, and he'd be in a sour mood for the rest of the day if he woke up with a kink in his neck.

With a sigh, Yumi approaches him and sets a hand on his shoulder. "Jeremie?"

His blue eyes snap open instantly, and he jerks up so violently she fears he's given himself whiplash for a moment.

After fixing his glasses and catching his breath, the blond-haired boy exclaims, "Jeez, Yumi! You scared the crap out of me!"

She draws back to give him some space, putting her hands up. "Sorry, sorry. Just figured you didn't wanna miss breakfast."

"It's fine." He takes off his glasses, wipes them off with his shirt, and then rubs his eyes wearily. "Just wasn't expecting that." With that, he turns in his swivel chair back towards the line of coding before him, hands moving towards the keyboard and beginning to tap away.

She watches him for a moment; her dark eyes flick back and forth from the screen to him.

"...Everything alright?"

"Fine." His response is curt. Then, he pauses as he seems to realize something. "Wait- it's Saturday, isn't it? What're you doing here?"

"Lost a bet."

"Odd?"

"Yep."

Despite his rather moody response to her earlier entrance, he can't help but chuckle. "Not surprised. You should really know better by now than to make bets with him."

With that, his brief smile fades, and he returns to whatever program he was so fixated on this time.

Yumi decides to cut right to the point. "Look. I've noticed you've been acting... kinda off lately." She doesn't mention the others' quiet concern. "I just wanted to make sure everything was cool before heading off."

"Never better," he mutters, squinting at a certain line and then using the arrow keys to backtrack and correct an apparent error. After he does that, he pauses. There's a note of hesitation in his voice this time when he speaks. "...It's just been so crazy lately, you know what I mean?"

Yumi nods. She knows what it's like to be the target over and over again- but at the same time, she knows his experience is different.

He's always left alone to face whatever XANA decides to throw at the world while his friends go off and fight on Lyoko. That, and the constant pressure of absolutely _needing_ to be at the computer while the warriors do battle...

It was quite a weight to bear.

"Yeah, I get what you mean." She lingers on a thought for a moment, but after some consideration, she comes to a decision. "You know... If you want, I could teach you a bit of pencak silat. Just some small stuff- you know, for self-defense."

When Jeremie smiles, this time, it reaches his eyes. He meets her gaze. "Well, I'm terrible at anything athletic, so I doubt it'd do much..." She wants to protest- she remembers what Ulrich and Odd told her about that time he saved Aelita at the pool. "But I really appreciate the offer."

The objection dies on her tongue, and she returns his smile. "The simple stuff's really not too bad. Consider it, huh?"

Her phone buzzes, and she glances at it with a huff as she sees Odd's name. "Looks like I gotta go. You should meet us downstairs for breakfast in a bit."

Jeremie nods, his attention back on the computer. "I will. See ya."

With a final goodbye, she heads out the door.

Later on, as she watches with a combination of disgust and awe as Odd somehow manages to devour two entire plates of pancakes and eggs, Jeremie texts her with a hesitant inquiry about meeting up in the gym later that evening. Her response is immediate and affirmative.

It's the least she can do, after all.


	2. Chapter 2

As promised, Yumi arrives at the gym in her usual sparring gear that night. She doubts they'll get anywhere too intense, but she had figured that she may as well set the mood.

She waits. She considers calling him, but as soon as she pulls out her phone, Jeremie arrives. He's in his usual gym clothes with the gray sweats, and he scuffs his feet against the floor when he walks. He looks surprised when he looks up and sees her.

"Odd and Ulrich aren't coming?"

"No. I didn't tell them."

He perks up considerably at that. "Thank goodness..." he mutters under his breath, pushing up his glasses.

For a moment, Yumi puzzles over that, but she swiftly realizes the cause for his relief. Odd would probably poke fun at him the entire time, and wherever Ulrich went, Odd had a tendency to follow.

She recalls something from earlier that day, and a frown crosses her face. "You didn't come to breakfast this morning." Nor lunch, nor dinner...

Jeremie's expression turns sheepish. "Sorry, I forgot. I thought I was really close this time." She would have asked about his progress, but the disappointment in his tone gives her the answer before she even bothers.

"Did you eat today?" she questions, narrowing her eyes. Physical exertion on an empty stomach usually didn't bode well, especially for the non-athletic sort.

He shrugs and replies truthfully, "I had a few snacks. I'm fine. I don't really eat much, anyways."

That's good enough for her. "Let's start out with some stretching first, then."

As she goes through the movements- widening her stance, dropping to a knee, and extending the other leg to the side to stretch her thighs- he mimics her movements, abeit with less fluidity.

"Any sign of XANA?" It had been a quiet couple of days.

Jeremie shakes his head. "No, thank goodness. Aelita and I've been keeping an eye out, though. Hopefully it stays that way." Bitterness edges his voice; they both knew the peace wouldn't last.

"How's the antivirus coming along?" She pulls her arms behind her head and strains each one until her fingers tremble.

He pauses as he moves to follow, his body tensing. It only lasts for a heartbeat, however, and then he does the same. "It's coming." He speaks quickly this time, a note of sharpness and finality to his tone. "I'm sure I'll get it in no time."

Touchy subject. That's when she realizes something. "You didn't bring your laptop." She can't conceal her surprise; that thing had practically been a tumor of Jeremie's since he had gotten the Superscan.

"Aelita's on the lookout," he supplies evenly, "And I have my phone on me. Just in case."

Yumi lets the conversation dwindle until they finish off with the stretches. "Now, I'll show you some simple stuff first, and we'll see how you do."

Her expectations are rightfully low. She starts off by showing him the eight step directions. It was entirely instinctive at this point to her, but when Jeremie performs them, there's a certain stiffness and simple lack of grace to each movement. He isn't made for the fluidity and spatial coordination of martial arts, she knows.

It's a start, though.

It's a grueling half hour of repeating the steps, showing him how to hold himself, and then demonstrating various stances. She critiques him every step of the way and even steps in on occasion to adjust and correct.

The Jeremie she knew may have lashed out or lost his patience no matter how much she tried to refrain from being derogatory, but he simply nods along and follows her instructions.

He's desperate. He's tired of being the victim.

"Have you been looking into self-defense, Jeremie?"

He watches her movements as she speaks, eyes fixated on her arms, and then copies them with his own.

"A little, yeah. I bought a pocketknife the other day."

Her dark brown gaze flies to him, her eyes widening. "Really?" Of all people, she'd expected Odd or perhaps Ulrich to indulge in items like that. But Jeremie...?

"Yeah. I mean, who knows when we'd need it, right? Besides, I gotta cut wires all the time when I'm fixing the supercomputer, so..." He shrugs.

She nods. "Yeah, I get that. Just make sure it has a rubber handle."

He snorts with amusement. "Don't worry, I've got that covered." For a moment, he trails off, and then he adds quietly, "That, and... I don't want to have to worry so much. While you guys are in Lyoko, I mean."

Yumi straightens up, shedding the graceful stance. "What do you mean?"

Jeremie seems relieved for the break, no matter how short-lived it may be, and he glances down at his feet. His glasses slide down the bridge of his nose, and she can see the striking blue of his eyes as he gazes at the gym mat beneath them.

"I'm the only one who can keep you guys safe on Lyoko from the real world. If I get hurt, or if XANA takes control, then-" He swallows hard and turns his face towards the wall. "...then it's game over."

Her face softens, and she sighs. "I know."

"And XANA targets me a _lot_. Have you noticed that?"

"I have." Even if she hadn't, his jumpiness as of late would have indicated enough to give reason for her to look into it. "Especially lately."

"I know. And I don't like it one bit."

Yumi walks over to Jeremie and claps a hand on his shoulder. "You did... pretty alright, for your first time." Well, she doesn't want him feeling any worse, so she figures she'd better embellish the truth.

He scoffs and rolls his eyes. "I sucked and you know it."

"We'll work on it." She can't resist a light laugh. "Trust me. You'll be fine- you've always pulled through during an attack. Besides, I'm sure the antivirus will be done before you know it."

He looks at her, his face serious. "I sure hope so." His tone is dubious.

After bidding each other goodnight, the two broke away and set off to bed. Yumi groans when she realizes the time and hurries home to avoid missing her parents' curfew.

Lying beneath the covers that night, Yumi idly texts Ulrich, Jeremie's worries ringing in her ears. She prompts an idea- maybe one of them could learn how to use the supercomputer, too, just in case Jeremie and Aelita ran into trouble. Her suggestion is quickly shot down. Did she remember when she accidentally sent Jeremie to Limbo? Or when Jeremie accidentally bugged Aelita up so terribly that her deletion would follow the deactivation of a Tower?

His reminders are enough to make her silence her phone and set it down. Frustration burns in her chest; fear nibbles at the back of her thoughts.

What is she supposed to do?


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Yumi sets her tray down at the table and flashes Odd, Ulrich, and Aelita a smile.

"Good morning, guys. How's it going?" She carves out a chunk of pancake with the side of her fork as she talks, taking the bite only when she's finished speaking.

Odd and Ulrich return her greeting just as cheerfully before Odd returns to voraciously devouring his portion.

"Did you study for that history test you were talking about?" Yumi asks Ulrich, curiosity bright in her eyes.

Ulrich shrugs. "I'll just wing it. I'm sure it'll be fine."

Yumi has a scolding prepared on her tongue when Odd speaks up abruptly, crumbs showering down from his full mouth, "Where's Einstein?"

Aelita, who had been silent since Yumi had seated herself, glowers up at the wild-haired boy. Her knuckles whiten around her fork, which was currently stabbing her otherwise-untouched pancakes.

"He's in a bad mood. We... had a fight, earlier."

The pleasant atmosphere ebbs. Yumi blinks at Aelita in surprise.

"Really?" Ulrich sounds just as startled. "You two never fight- you're like two peas in a pod."

"Well, we did today, okay?" snaps Aelita, her green eyes flashing with agitation, "He was being ridiculous. I don't know what his deal is lately."

"Who knows?" Odd chirps after chugging a decent amount of his hot chocolate. "Einstein's always been a little high-strung."

"Yeah, but he's been worse than ever lately," Ulrich huffs, "He barely even sees us other than when XANA attacks."

Yumi feels her jaw tighten. Were they really this oblivious? Jeez... she'd simply figured she'd been the first one willing to take action on the matter, not the first one to figure it out.

"Well, maybe he's worried," she begins delicately. She swallows the chunk on her fork before continuing. "You've noticed what XANA's been doing lately, haven't you?"

The three stare at her blankly. Aelita arches a pink eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Yumi's brow furrows. "He's been targeting Jeremie like crazy. C'mon, you really haven't seen that?"

"...Now that you mention it..." Ulrich exchanges a look with Odd, nodding along.

Aelita's eyes widen with realization- and perhaps regret, as well. "No wonder he's been so miserable the past few days!" She lowers her fork and ducks her head into her hands. "Oh _no_... I said some really bad stuff to him."

Suddenly, the tinny noise of a ringtone cuts through the conversation, and Yumi's phone buzzes in her back pocket. Swiftly snatching it from her pants, she accepts the call and draws it to her ear.

"Yumi!" Jeremie's voice is high and frantic. "Activated tower, Ice Sector. Are the others with you?"

"Yeah, we're all here," she confirms, blatantly disregarding the apprehensive looks the other Lyoko warriors cast her way. "We'll head over to the factory right away. Any signs of the attack?"

"No, not yet. I'll set up your virtualizations." Of course he's already there. She wouldn't expect anything less of him. "Hurry!"

Yumi clicks off her phone as Jeremie hangs up, her dark-brown gaze falling on the three. They had already begun cleaning off their trays. "Alright, let's head out."

There isn't a word of disagreement. Aelita's movements in particular are choppy and fast, and tension ripples through her body even through her clothing.

She's worried. Yumi would be lying if she said she wasn't, either.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updates, and for how short this chapter is.

* * *

Yumi races into the chamber of the elevator, slamming down hard on the button to shut the doors as the others rushed in after her. She praises the longer legs that her superior height grants her- that, and perhaps more begrudgingly, all of those hours of track and field Jim forces on the nineth grade class.

"I'll call Jeremie," Aelita exclaims between breaths. It hadn't taken that long to get to the factory, especially since they hadn't needed an excuse to slip out of breakfast early, but Yumi supposes that her observation, having been voiced just before the attack, probably unsettled Aelita.

The boys nod; Odd slips toward the back, standing tensely beside Aelita, while Ulrich takes his usual place beside Yumi. They're used to the protective positioning by now. Yumi trusts Ulrich at her side- after all, she practices pencak silat with him the most frequently.

She presses down on the button for descent, and they wait. The dial tone on Aelita's phone hums tinnily through the small space. Yumi releases a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when she faintly hears Jeremie's voice, but her stomach drops once more when she realizes that it's his voicemail.

Her own words replay themselves in her mind. If XANA persists in the trend it's been following lately...

Wordlessly, Yumi stops the elevator on the floor of the mainframe. No one protests.

As the giant mechanism in the center of the door unlocks and the door begins sluggishly to slide open, a loud _bang_ makes her - and everyone else in the elevator, she's quite certain - jump a good mile. As soon as the entryway is parted enough, she and Ulrich shove their way through, both taking on the long-practiced fighting stance.

What she sees makes her freeze. The millions of thoughts racing through her head, the screaming "what if's" and frantic "please, no!'s" all screech to a halt.

It's Jeremie, held up against the wall by his neck, his white-knuckled hands clasped around Principal Delmas's wrist and his face screwed up in a grimace of pain. There's blood running down his lips, just barely gleaming in the occasional light of Lyoko's hologram map, and his glasses are gone; even in the dim lighting of the mainframe's chamber, she can see unusual shadowing in a few parts of his shirt.

The observation as she sizes up her foe is brief because Ulrich is already rushing forward, his hands in tight fists and a battle cry tearing out of him. She surges ahead, sweeping low for the legs. Satisfaction bubbles in her as his knees buckle, and a distorted cry from Delmas confirms Ulrich's successful blow to his upper body, as well.

His figure flickering in static-ridden interference, Delmas crumples to the floor. A wet gasp sounds from against the wall, and once Yumi's certain that the principal is no longer a problem for the time being, she turns to check on her friend.

"Are you okay?"

Ulrich's hand is already on Jeremie's shoulder; Jeremie's gripping his throat, his eyes tightly shut and his chest heaving. Even so, he nods. "Y-yeah, just- just give me a sec."

The relief that washes over her is immense. Her legs are suddenly wobbly beneath her, and her pulse thrums in her temples in tune with her rapid heartbeat.

Yumi's eyes pass beseechingly over the floor. Finally, she spots the familiar black frames, and she stoops to pick them up and pass them to the blond.

After a few moments, Ulrich begins to haul Jeremie to his feet. His hazel eyes fall upon Yumi, angry and reactive, but she knows it isn't towards her, and he gestures curtly towards the elevator. "Go deactivate the tower. I'll deal with Delmas."

She wants to protest, but the principal is already beginning to rouse. It takes only a glare from his hateful, XANA-fied stare to subdue her objections.

"Be safe."

"You too."

After that, it seems to take hours for the elevator to reach the scanner room. Jeremie's voice is shaky and hoarse over the speaker system. "Your transfers are ready. Go ahead."

Yumi isn't at all placated as she steps into the scanner, but deep in the rational part of her mind, she knows she doesn't have any other options.

Aelita tries to smile at her before the scanner shuts with a clang; out of her periphery, she can see Odd fidgeting impatiently in his.

Once hers is closed, she lifts her chin, letting the wind raise her hair.

There isn't anything else she can do, after all.


	5. Chapter 5

That brief yet familiar wave of weightlessness seizes Yumi as her vision fills with white. It's a bizarre sensation, but it's one that she's accustomed too. That, and after various occasions of improper transfers, it's more a relief than anything else.

Automatically, she bends her knees as her feet strike the ground, extending a hand in front of her to keep herself from pitching forward. Her eyes snap open just in time to see Odd and Aelita drop down in front of her. The lavender platforms of the mountain sector loom before them, the distant spires of inactive towers fading off into the distance.

She straightens, and as they do as well, she speaks firmly, "Let's not waste any time."

There isn't any protest to that. When Yumi takes off towards the activated tower, the other two follow in her footsteps, Odd quickly overtaking her with his cat-like gait.

As anticipated thanks to Jeremie's hurried warning, their welcoming committee comes into view. From behind a rugged rock formation blocking their path of travel, two Megatanks roll forward. One screeches to a halt and exposes its vulnerable core, red sparks flashing around its center as it begins to build up energy, as the other swiftens its speed and barrels towards them.

Exchanging a nod with Odd and Aelita, the three scatter; the Megatank takes a wide turn to pursue Odd. A glance over her shoulder shows Yumi that he's easily keeping a fair distance between them, as he's long been dropped onto all fours for the quick escape. Even so, the Megatank is closing the distance fast, but any caution that Yumi wishes to deliver gets cut short by the tell-tale pause of the other Megatank's charging.

As her attention snaps over to the Megatank, she calls, "Aelita! Get down!" Its core is positioned directly at Aelita, and Yumi's hand immediately darts to the fan folded at her side. Aelita doesn't even look as she dives blindly forward, hitting the deck just as the wall of crimson light lashes out from the divided Megatank.

Once the energy recedes, Yumi, with her signature battle cry, casts the fan and arcs it straight towards its core. The blazing scar of light left on the target symbol signifies a successful hit, and the prompt explosion of the creature afterwards draws a triumphant, "Yes!" and a fist pump from the geisha.

With that done, she rushes over to ensure Aelita's wellbeing, angling her head to the side a tad to check on Odd's progress. The ominous rumble of the other Megatank's rolling had yet to come to a halt, and as expected, she finds Odd leading it in a random pattern of zigzags and circles.

"Okay, okay, Eleanor, I get it, you don't like me!" he cries, exasperation evident in his tone. Apparently tiring of the game of cat and mouse, he lunges for the boulder from which the Megatank had revealed itself and scales it in a quick pull-up motion with his claws. As he reaches the top, the Megatank opens itself up and begins to draw in energy.

"Take this!" Loading his wrist, Odd takes aim and fires a laser arrow. It bounces off of the metallic shell of the monster, missing its target by a wide berth. With a yelp, he leaps to the side as the Megatank fires its charge, his feet skidding perilously close to the edge of his perch.

For a moment, as she helps Aelita to her feet, Yumi considers diving into the fray, but Aelita gestures frantically in the direction of the activated tower. "We don't have time for this!"

Torn for only a second, Yumi nods her assent and takes off, Aelita's footsteps sounding off the ground in her wake. She looks behind her one last time to check on Odd before he can disappear from view, and she just barely catches him launching himself off the rock towards the Megatank with his wrist ready to fire.

As they turn the corner onto a narrower path, the tower encapsulated in a menacing, scarlet aura approaching, an explosion behind her signifies a successful assault. Odd's exclamation of, "Some girls never learn when to quit!" only proves the victory further.

Yumi's almost surprised when the rest of the journey to the tower remains uneventful. She was almost certain that a squadron of hornets would assail them in their endeavors.

Even so, as Aelita sets a hand on the base of the tower and eases her way into it, there's nothing. Yumi lingers warily outside, eyes scanning the terrain.

Odd races down the path after them, uncontested. It's too easy, isn't it?

"Jeremie?" Yumi knows that if anything were wrong, he'd be the first to let them know, but she can't help but seek reassurance at this point.

There's no response. Her worry shoots up to the roof.

But behind her, the tower's aura shifts from red to blue.


	6. Chapter 6

The aftermath is worse than usual this time around.

Normally, there's a few scrapes and bruises. A nasty cut every now and again, and maybe a sprain, but it's never bad enough to warrant a hospital visit. At the most, they come up with an excuse—I tripped, I fell down the stairs, sparring practice went badly—and they see Nurse Yolanda, but beyond that, there's little they've had to do. When it's at its worst, they simply do a return trip.

It's a hard decision, but Jeremie resists the suggestion emphatically. So they cope.

This time, the aftermath is a smattering of cuts and scrapes on his back and abdomen. "I got thrown into the scrap heap," he tells her through clenched teeth as she helps apply the disinfectant to the areas he can't reach on his own. There's blue and violet bruising around his neck and back, and he has a split lip. There isn't much she can do for that, but she offers her support anyways, and he seems grateful.

Aelita is spewing apologies as Yumi works with the first aid kit (She's used to it, after all; all ninth graders are required to take health class. That, and Aelita and Ulrich have expressed their discomfort with working with those materials, but also... well, would anyone trust Odd with that sort of thing?).

Beyond the obvious wincing, Jeremie's face is unreadable. He takes Aelita's hand in a surprisingly bold gesture and, giving it a squeeze, he murmurs, "It's okay."

"That was way too close," Ulrich cuts in. His gaze is hard as he stares at Jeremie, and his eyes flick towards the boy's torn and stained sweater also on the bed.

Odd huffs and flops down heavily next to Jeremie, swinging an arm up to rest it on the young prodigy's shoulders— in contrast to his swift movements, however, he sets it down delicately. "Yeah, Einstein! We really need to crack down on this— you'll be nothing but a pulp by the end of it if we don't."

Yumi rolls her eyes, lifting her gaze from the gauze she's wrapping around a rather wide slash on his wrist. "Not funny, Odd." Couldn't he summon at least a bit of seriousness in this sort of situation?

Jeremie shrugs. "I know. It isn't like there's much I can do about it, though."

His tone is flat, and when she looks up once more, she can see the exhausted acceptance in his eyes.

"...Why don't you come with us to Lyoko next time?" Aelita tries. The withering look he gives her in response is saturated with exasperation.

"Then who would stay out when XANA possesses someone to screw with the supercomputer?"

Aelita doesn't have a counter; in fact, she looks rather taken aback. Jeremie takes his glasses off and runs a hand through his hair, then down his face. "I'm sorry," he sighs, "I'm just tired."

"We all are. This is serious." Ulrich sits down on Jeremie's other side, cupping his knees with his hands. His face is unsettled, and he looks away when Jeremie cringes at the touch of an alcohol pad on a scrape on his ribs. "What if you die next time?"

"We need to figure out why XANA's targeting you," Aelita enters the conversation again with a quick interjection, her hands curling into fists. "Then, we'll be able to stop it."

With her work done, Yumi withdraws, recapping the bottle of hydrogen peroxide and setting the unusued bandages back into the kit. Once it's closed, she stands off to the side, observing his body language carefully for any signs of things she may have missed.

"Well, I don't know why it would," Jeremie remarks, holding his hands out helplessly, "I don't exactly have much use for you guys."

Now _that_ seems to catch Aelita's attention. Her green eyes soften. "Don't say that. You know we depend on you."

He doesn't consider her reply for very long, nor does he yield to it in response. "Either way, there isn't really any way we can figure out why. I haven't been to Lyoko since- since I got possessed, so there's no reason for this change. It doesn't make sense."

"Maybe it's trying to wear you out," Yumi ventures at long last, "Or distract you."

"It's definitely working," he mutters, turning his gaze disdainfully towards the far wall.

"We'll figure it out," Aelita promises immediately, a new note of determination to her tone, "Maybe we could check Sector Five for anything. Have you read anything new in my father's diary?"

"Nothing spectacular." Jeremie leans down, resting his chin in his hand. "But that might be worth a shot, actually. I _did_ dig up some stuff with the scanners, but it wasn't anything mind-blowing."

"Let's do it, then." Aelita smiles reassuringly, and despite his sour tone earlier, Jeremie manages to summon a small one as well. Fondness flashes through Yumi; those two always know how to cheer each other up, it seems, despite any past arguments or grievances.

"Does tomorrow work?"

At the others' approval, Jeremie's expression shifts into something definitely more hopeful than before. "Okay then. Now- I've got some stuff to work on. Thanks, guys. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that dismissal, they bid him goodnight and exit. The other boys go off to their own room, and Yumi walks alongside Aelita towards the girls' dorms. Sure, she has a curfew to make, but she doesn't mind sparing the extra few minutes to chat with her only female companion amongst the Lyoko warriors.

"What do you make of all this?"

Aelita starts at the sound of Yumi's voice, but, after briefly meeting her gaze, she turns her attention to the floor with a meek shrug.

"I don't know. I just hope Sector Five has answers."

Yumi waits a moment for Aelita to continue, but she doesn't. When she arrives at Aelita's door, they both pause, and Aelita turns to face her.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Yumi. Let's hope we figure this out, yeah?"

"Yeah. I'll see you."

Once Aelita shuts the door, Yumi has no reason to stay any longer, so she heads back home.

The mere idea of a potential solution makes a fresh sprig of hope rise in her. Even so, she recalls Jeremie's tired eyes and Aelita's strained smile. Did they really have any explanation as to what XANA's plan could be? Or was the AI simply beginning to catch up with them?

With William gone, another new member was out of the question. They needed to crack down on this as soon as possible before things truly spiraled out of control.

Yumi glances over her shoulder back in the direction of Kadic Academy as her hand comes down on her house's doorknob. Heaving a weary sigh, she twists it, pushes the door carefully open, and heads inside.

They'd figure it out. Even if they didn't, they'd sort out some contigency plan and roll with the punches as they always did, and it'd end up fine.

Even so, she can't shake the unease that lingers in her as she closes the door in her wake.


End file.
